Meet Ben
Our Sustain top plaster artisan and Sustain manager. Ben's side hustle photography and videographer and most importantly he is a wonderful human!
May 2021. Check the stories for the joy of how I stumbled into the petroglyphs. Utah again. I was captivated to stand in the canyon confluence and stare at the proof of the humans that had done the same long ago. I was mesmerized to imagine the water passing through, the wildlife passing through, the humans passing through for ages and ages… The trails of their passing has been erased after every seasonal rain, but their energy has also beat in a path, and the rains don’t wash that away. I’m a fan of “Leave No Trace” outdoor ethics and here I was riveted by some ancient “assholes” that carved up this rock! 😉 But that’s a whole other conversation. I explored this on a day hike and could not shake the idea that I HAD to see this under the stars later that night. Napped in the van, alarm at 10pm, into the dark I go. The entrance into the slot canyon spooked me! And honestly, it didn’t fully leave the whole night. But daammmnnnn I was wide eyed shuffling on the sugar sand path, neck craned up, eyes wide as saucers taking in every single available photon in the narrow view up. Maybe there’s an echo me still rattling around in there with the others when the sun sets and the stars bring a dim glow to the canyon floor.
It had been a long, exciting week w new friends. Utah, May 2021 at the @nightscaperconference . On my way home, I did some exploring and… well, like I said, it had been a long week! The stars were shimmering. Only occasional floofs of a breeze. The caked and cracked desert shale crumbled into a perfect spot for just a few minutes to close the eyes… maybe an hour… more to see before the night was over… but this spot…. was so… good… felt like a blanket of stars.. and well, the nap went long. Real long. At first much needed. Good rest. But, somewhen, too long. Two years later, just rubbing the cobwebs out.
Wow. I managed to not post a single photo here last year... Geez. I’m trying hard to not overthink the expectation of this caption! This year, I’m hoping I have the courage to take the risk and make the effort of turning my creative ideas to attempted efforts. I sat and watched too much of 2019 go by me. This year, I’d like to step back into the fray. Thanks to @martinwgropper for help shooting this. Exciting thing to share- I was a contributing author to a book on night photography! Check link in profile. Cheers, friends.
10 years ago, I threw all my cheap, but oh-so dear, possessions into my hatchback Mazda and drove west to make Oregon my home. 175 yrs ago, eastern settlers made a ridiculously more arduous and courageous journey west to settle the land and cities I’ve come to call home. Last month, @pendletonroundup_hc and Wagon Train teamed up w me to make a series of images celebrating this heritage in the most timeless way I know how, under the stars. Take a moment and imagine the creak of the boards. The crunch of rock and gravel. The uncertainty of the crossing. The fear of what could happen. The joy of audacious courage to risk it all for a new life. Let me know what you think, more to come :)
The #StagStatue is my favorite piece of Portland art and a small obsession I continuously return w a camera to see it in various moods. We got DUMPED on last night here in town :)
I'm happy to end this year and begin the next with this frame of mind. 🙌 for all the good times of 2016 and 👊🏼 to the fresh slate of 2017. #lifeisforliving
This is one scene of our new film #InfinitySquared showcasing people, stars and Milky Way all in real time! Any guess on how many meteors in this clip? Did you make a wish? This was from the Perseid Meteor shower this year.
Flight out of Cusco got cancelled from high winds, now 'stuck' here for three more nights! This weeks project went wonderfully and was amazing meeting and adventuring w the awesome team. But now job duties are done and International Backpacker Ben gets let off the leash for a couple days 😄 big thanks to @dwmmrf for this picture!
